LMM
Starter
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/12482730p-13338559c.html
A guarded victory
Backcourt star Mike Bibby (38 points) fuels the Kings, who can't stop Gilbert Arenas (43).
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Monday, February 28, 2005
WASHINGTON - Quite often, the big shots won't come without the little plays.
Whether it was a Brad Miller steal, or Cuttino Mobley following Mike Bibby's shot and coming up with the loose ball, or Bibby helping out and stripping Kwame Brown on a drive, the Kings made enough off-the-ball plays Sunday night to snatch a 110-108 victory from the Washington Wizards.
Before a sellout crowd of 20,173 at MCI Center, the Kings (36-21) rode Bibby's 38 points to win a second straight game for the first time since Feb. 2 (Golden State) and Feb. 4 (New York).
In the final minute, Bibby missed a jump shot, but Mobley said he was just "chasing the ball" and came up with it under the basket before laying it in to tie the score at 108 with 37.5 seconds left.
Gilbert Arenas, who torched the Kings for 43 points, missed a jump shot and then was whistled for a foul against Mobley with 1.5 seconds left. Mobley made both free throws, and the Kings watched a desperation three-pointer from Steve Blake fall well short as they ended their tumultuous February on a happy note despite a 6-8 mark.
It was the fourth back-to-back season sweep for the Kings, who won a two-point game at Philadelphia on Saturday night. The Kings evened their record on the second day of back-to-back games at 7-7.
Washington (31-24) lost for the fifth time in six games despite Arenas - like Bibby a former star guard at the University of Arizona - tying his career high.
Arenas was unstoppable taking the ball to the basket as well as on the perimeter, where he made a season-high 7 of 11 three-point shots.
Kings coach Rick Adelman said Arenas was the focus of his team's defense, and he still couldn't be stopped.
"We talked about him at halftime," Adelman said of Arenas, whose 22 first-half points marked the 11th time this season he has scored 20 or more in a half.
"We played man-to-man and zone and still didn't know where he was," Adelman said. "We couldn't keep him from going around us, and he kept splitting our guards.
"We told them his number so they could know which one he was. I mean, it was pretty easy to see where their scoring was coming from. He's about as good as I have seen in attacking the basket. When he sees daylight to get to the hole, he is strong. He is quick, and he is aggressive."
Despite the mini-battle between Bibby and Arenas, the Kings and Wizards took turns attempting to gain control in a game in which there never was a double-digit lead.
The Kings' biggest lead was 50-41 with 3:47 left in the second quarter, but the Wizards seemed to have wrested the game with 3:41 left.
But the Wizards, who were playing without guard Larry Hughes (fractured right thumb), couldn't handle prosperity. They committed eight turnovers in the fourth quarter to help the Kings back into the game.
"This was a hard game to describe," Adelman said of the contest that featured 18 ties and 15 lead changes. "It went back and forth, and they looked like they had control of the game. We got a couple of loose balls and made a couple of good plays down the stretch. It was a great win for us."
Backup swingman Maurice Evans came off the bench to score 12 points, eight in the fourth quarter, to help rally the Kings. Evans hit a three-pointer on a feed from Bibby off the rebound of his missed three that started the possession to pull the Kings within 104-100 with 3:25 left. Bibby also scored eight points in the fourth, including a three-pointer as part of a 9-0 run that tied the score at 104 with 2:21 left. On the following possession, Bibby swiped the ball from Brown and fed Kenny Thomas for a layup and 106-104 Kings lead with 1:58 left. Arenas answered with a three-point play with 1:49 left to give Washington a 107-106 lead, which grew to 108-106 when Michael Ruffin made 1 of 2 free throws with 53.1 seconds left.
A guarded victory
Backcourt star Mike Bibby (38 points) fuels the Kings, who can't stop Gilbert Arenas (43).
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Monday, February 28, 2005
WASHINGTON - Quite often, the big shots won't come without the little plays.
Whether it was a Brad Miller steal, or Cuttino Mobley following Mike Bibby's shot and coming up with the loose ball, or Bibby helping out and stripping Kwame Brown on a drive, the Kings made enough off-the-ball plays Sunday night to snatch a 110-108 victory from the Washington Wizards.
Before a sellout crowd of 20,173 at MCI Center, the Kings (36-21) rode Bibby's 38 points to win a second straight game for the first time since Feb. 2 (Golden State) and Feb. 4 (New York).
In the final minute, Bibby missed a jump shot, but Mobley said he was just "chasing the ball" and came up with it under the basket before laying it in to tie the score at 108 with 37.5 seconds left.
Gilbert Arenas, who torched the Kings for 43 points, missed a jump shot and then was whistled for a foul against Mobley with 1.5 seconds left. Mobley made both free throws, and the Kings watched a desperation three-pointer from Steve Blake fall well short as they ended their tumultuous February on a happy note despite a 6-8 mark.
It was the fourth back-to-back season sweep for the Kings, who won a two-point game at Philadelphia on Saturday night. The Kings evened their record on the second day of back-to-back games at 7-7.
Washington (31-24) lost for the fifth time in six games despite Arenas - like Bibby a former star guard at the University of Arizona - tying his career high.
Arenas was unstoppable taking the ball to the basket as well as on the perimeter, where he made a season-high 7 of 11 three-point shots.
Kings coach Rick Adelman said Arenas was the focus of his team's defense, and he still couldn't be stopped.
"We talked about him at halftime," Adelman said of Arenas, whose 22 first-half points marked the 11th time this season he has scored 20 or more in a half.
"We played man-to-man and zone and still didn't know where he was," Adelman said. "We couldn't keep him from going around us, and he kept splitting our guards.
"We told them his number so they could know which one he was. I mean, it was pretty easy to see where their scoring was coming from. He's about as good as I have seen in attacking the basket. When he sees daylight to get to the hole, he is strong. He is quick, and he is aggressive."
Despite the mini-battle between Bibby and Arenas, the Kings and Wizards took turns attempting to gain control in a game in which there never was a double-digit lead.
The Kings' biggest lead was 50-41 with 3:47 left in the second quarter, but the Wizards seemed to have wrested the game with 3:41 left.
But the Wizards, who were playing without guard Larry Hughes (fractured right thumb), couldn't handle prosperity. They committed eight turnovers in the fourth quarter to help the Kings back into the game.
"This was a hard game to describe," Adelman said of the contest that featured 18 ties and 15 lead changes. "It went back and forth, and they looked like they had control of the game. We got a couple of loose balls and made a couple of good plays down the stretch. It was a great win for us."
Backup swingman Maurice Evans came off the bench to score 12 points, eight in the fourth quarter, to help rally the Kings. Evans hit a three-pointer on a feed from Bibby off the rebound of his missed three that started the possession to pull the Kings within 104-100 with 3:25 left. Bibby also scored eight points in the fourth, including a three-pointer as part of a 9-0 run that tied the score at 104 with 2:21 left. On the following possession, Bibby swiped the ball from Brown and fed Kenny Thomas for a layup and 106-104 Kings lead with 1:58 left. Arenas answered with a three-point play with 1:49 left to give Washington a 107-106 lead, which grew to 108-106 when Michael Ruffin made 1 of 2 free throws with 53.1 seconds left.
